


Fire and Darkness

by CanineR7A7



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Loki is kind of scared, Other, Protectiveness, The main OC is kinda dark, but not
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-11
Updated: 2018-08-11
Packaged: 2019-06-26 01:30:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 921
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15653007
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CanineR7A7/pseuds/CanineR7A7
Summary: Loki didn't know meeting Stark's niece would land him under the protection of a being more dangerous than the Hulk. Leah didn't know that meeting the trickster would land her under the protection of a God.





	Fire and Darkness

If Leah had to choose between the two resident Norse Gods, it would always be Loki. She didn’t have anything against Thor, but she knew his type well enough, seen countless movie characters she’d long since forgotten the names of who matched him – honourable, noble, powerful. But Loki? Sure, maybe she’d seen characters like him before, but they lacked the charisma that radiated from him. Many people viewed her as being an uncontrollable ball of fire and rage, and yes, maybe that was true some of the time – even before she’d received her powers people believed her to be fiery, too fiery, probably the only reason she could never have been considered popular – some boys and even a couple of girls had found the fire burning in her attractive, but they’d either been people who were driven by blind aggression, or people who played up being weak solely to have the school’s _fire-breather_ in their corner. She’d never entertained the idea, never humoured any of them. She started dating Pritchard, a heavily bullied kid, not because she pitied him, but because he had a similar fury burning in green eyes, a fury that he found harder to control. With Bobby came his sister, Leah had admired Monica when the smaller, scrawnier girl had threatened her in defence of her brother’s happiness; whether or not she knew, Monica’s fury landed her under Leah’s protection, a fact that only became known when she’d sent the third person one week to the hospital after Monica had been cornered with no-one else around. Lucais and Jamie followed shortly afterwards, there were no grand gestures, no declarations of friendship, just a silent understanding that they were hers and she was theirs. They were an odd group, to those who didn’t know them, four of them with a fire forged from their experiences, one who was born with it. HYDRA happened, her status as fire-breather morphed from a playground legend to a harsh reality, her tendency to mentally place people under her protection, regardless of their ability to defend themselves, never stopped. The God of lies as he proudly declared, was unknowingly on that list, he had a fire in him, one that took the form of carefully thought out words and a charisma that rivalled her uncle’s. Yes, Loki was interesting, people like Thor she knew like the back of her hand, people like Loki? They interested her, people who could use the fire without anyone knowing they’d been burned. The God was intrigued by her, she knew that much, she didn’t exactly make an effort to hide Demon, liked the power he gave her, a fuel for the ever starving fire, a fuel Loki was aware of the second they shook hands. She saw fear in his eyes, that split second was enough, he’d experienced the wrath of the Hulk, and Demon was much worse. People thought they were the same, yes…and no. They were aware of what the other did, Demon knew friend from foe, and Leah knew her fire from his. Banner tried to push the Hulk away, Leah embraced Demon, could feel his presence in her mind during the day, could feel his warmth while she slept, he tried to ward her nightmares, attempts she rewarded with shared control. He could take over their form at will, even without the human shifting to dragon, let them think he was a mindless beast, she knew the truth, that was enough for them. Loki knew the truth, he feared it, fire didn’t dispel darkness, it was symbolic with Hell for a reason – Leah knew she was dark, her friends knew she was dark, Demon was pleased by the darkness – but there was one thing people forgot, darkness didn’t always mean evil.

* * *

 

They met mere days after the compound was formed; one, a mortal teenager with a fury that caused even the strongest men to quake in fear; the other, a centuries old God with a cunning far beyond many they’d interacted with. They shook hands, that action unknowingly sealed the bond between them, they knew what they needed to know. Fear encompassed his eyes, too quick for anyone to notice, anyone but her. His fire was different, a mere candle upon first glance, but she knew that didn’t mean it was weak. Candles, she’d often thought, were symbolic with scholars, and young she may be, but even she understood the written word could be more deadly than the sharpest sword. A pleasant warmth spread through her mind, Demon’s pleased hums only confirmed her assessment. Her fire had always been a raging inferno, powerful, fierce – when she’d learned of Demon’s existence it had morphed into scalding magma, deadly, unstoppable. Their power grew after every battle, yet Loki’s mere candle equalled them. That’s not to say Leah relied on brute force, she had her own cunning, one that took its form as sharp wit and silent calm. She’d learned to control her emotions long before the fire could spill from her hands, learned to protect herself with a stone mask – it was ironic, something so molten hidden behind something so cold – it was probably the only reason bullies sought elsewhere for targets, why people knew not to underestimate her. A lesson the God seemed to know without a single word being spoken. The fire raged behind her eyes as Demon laughed in excitement, her own smile formed when the meaning became clear, whether or not he knew it, Loki was now under the fire-breather’s protection.

 


End file.
